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Will San Diego State shut Xavier Thames down to get his back healthy?

UNLV v San Diego State

SAN DIEGO, CA - JANUARY 16: Xavier Thames #2 of the San Diego State Aztecs shoots the ball in the first half of the game over Daquan Cook #10 of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels at Viejas Arena on January 16, 2013 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent C. Horner/Getty Images)

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Xavier Thames strained his lower back more than a month ago, but San Diego State’s floor general has been unable to get healthy.

He’s missed three of the last seven games for the Aztecs. SDSU has gone 4-3 in that span. Thames sat out two of the losses, and finished with zero points on 0-5 shooting with three turnovers and no assists in 25 minutes in a loss to UNLV.

Clearly, Thames, who is the only natural point guard that Steve Fisher has at his disposal, is an important piece for the Aztecs.

Which is why the latest news regarding Thames should be so concerning:

Fisher said he will meet with Xavier Thames, trainer Tom Abdenour and team physician Dr. Christopher Behr on Tuesday to discuss a course of action for the lower back strain that has plagued his point guard for five weeks now.

Fisher said a whole range of options are on the table: “Continue what we’re doing, what it would mean if he tried to play in pain, or shut him down completely for a couple weeks.”

Thames has missed three games since tweaking the back, including Saturday at Air Force, and the Aztecs lost two. At practice Monday, he did the same as he has for the past month – participating in spot shooting but not in live drills.


What makes this a bigger issue is that Chase Tapley is beat up as well. He’s dealing with a sprained wrist, one that forced him into 1-7 shooting in Saturday’s loss to Air Force, and missed time due to a knee injury earlier this year.

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.